The Pocket Testament League, AustraliaThe Pocket Testament League (PTL) is a world-wide Christian organisation which distributes printed copies of the Gospels. The PTL came to Melbourne in 1909 prior to the start of a four month Australian campaign.

The Pocket Testament League was founded in 1893 by a teenage girl named Helen Cadbury (from the Cadbury Chocolate family), as a means of winning her classmates to Christ. In 1904, Helen married American evangelist Charles McCallon Alexander, who officially organised the League with Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman in Philadelphia, in March 1908. Alexander had been associated with the prominent evangelist Dwight L. Moody and his experience in worldwide evangelism gave huge impetus to the League. In 1914, The Pocket Testament League opened an office in London, England, and began sharing Gospels as part of its First World War outreach. In October, a campaign gave out 400,000 New Testaments to soldiers.

It was begun in Melbourne, in 1909 when Mr Charles McCallon Alexander, Mr Davis and Dr Chapman held a four month Australian campaign. Mr Davis, who spoke, said “We want the League to spread all over the land. It will bring the greatest revival this Commonwealth has ever known.” It did spread like wildfire throughout Australia and across the world with thousands coming to know Jesus Christ”.https://tptl.org.au/history/

The Japanese Commander Responsible for the Bombing of Darwin Committed his Life to Christ.

The Power of Forgiveness

Japanese leader Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Darwin last Friday, honouring those killed during the Japanese bombing of the city in World War II. He thanked Territorians for welcoming him with “heartwarming hospitality”.

You may be interested in the story of Commander Captain Mitsuo Fuchida and the raid on Darwin The Darwin area suffered 62 further raids in 1942 and 1943, but the first was the worst with the death of 245 people.

Captain Fuchida also led the devastating attack on Pearl Harbour which led to the United States entering WW11.

After the war Fuchida became a Christian when reading a Pocket Testament League leaflet which told the story of Jacob DeShazer who was in the first bombing of Japan with the famous Doolittle Raiders.

DeShazer’s plane ran out of fuel on the way to safety in China after the bombing and crashed in Japanese held territory becoming a POW. Jacob DeShazer suffered immemsely at the hands of his Jaspanese torturers, then had the opportunity to read the Bible where he became a Christian. He determined to go back after the war as a missionary as his heart was turned from hatred to love and forgiveness towards the Japanese.

You can read the stories of both Mitsuo Fuchida and Jacob DeShazer who led Fuchida to Christ.

Read Fuchida’s story here and hear him tell his story by clicking here. You can see this short video of Jacob DeShazer story and how he led Fuchido to Christ. Also you can read DeShazer’s very powerful story here